Portable house.



J. A. WALKER.

PORTABLE HOUSE. y APPLICATSON FILM! JULYIZ, I915.

Patented Apr. 18, 1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET l.

My, v 21 J. A. WALKER.

PORTABLE HOUSE. APPLICATION man JULY t2. 191s.

Patented Apr. 18, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- V Witneswsa Attornays JAMES A. WALKER, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA. I

PORTABLE HOUSE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 18, 1913.

Application filed July 12, 1915. Serial No. 39,395.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES A. WALKER, a citizen of the United States, residing at San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented a new and useful Portable House, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention appertains to portable houses or buildings, and is particularly an improvement over the structures disclosed in my former Patents Nos. 797,474 and 831,810.

The object of the invention is to improve the structure generally in its details, to enhance the utility and efliciency thereof, the invention embodying unique means for assembling the various parts of the building whereby they will be securely held together when the building is set up, and without the presence of objectionable protuberances or unsightly fixtures in the finished building.

It is also within the scope of the invention to provide a portable house having the features above noted, which features are comparatively simple and inexpensive in construction, and which permit the building to be easily erected by those unskilled or unfamiliar with the art of carpentry.

With the-foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed can be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure l'is a fragmental side elevation of a portable house or building embodying the present improvements. Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 2'-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional detail on the Fig. 5 is a fragmental plan view of one corner of the flooring to illustrate the ventilating door. Fig. 6 is an enlarged sectional view on the line-6-6 of Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is an enlarged sectional, de-

tail on the line 7 of Fig. 1. Fig. 8 is an enlarged fragmental detail illustrating the manner of assembling the rafter and cross stringer with one of the posts or uprights. Figs. 9, 10 and 11 are sectional views taken on the lines 9-9, 10-10 and 1111, respectively, of Fig. 8. Fig. 12 is a sectional view taken on the line 1212 of Fig. 8, and illustrating the manner of attaching the beams to the stringers. Fig. 13 is a fragmental detail illustrating the rafter or stirrup for supporting a hanger from the ridge of the roof. Fig. 14 is a sectional view taken on the line 14-14 of Fig. 13. Fig. 15 is a bottom view of the parts illustrated in Fig. 13.

In the drawings, only fragmental portions of the house or building are illustrated, since the invention resides in improved details of the house or building, and not in the general construction thereof. Portable or knock-down buildings are well known, and the subject matter of this invention resides in'the means employed for assembling or uniting the various parts, as will hereinafter more fully appear.

The building frame embodies, at its opposite sides, longitudinally spaced posts or uprights 1, which have their lower ends seated upon longitudinal ground sills 2. Transverse stringers 3 are disposed between and abut against the posts 1v and rest upon the sills 2, and transverse stringers 4 are terminally seated upon the sills 2 between the stringers 3.

The lower end portions of the posts 1 are provided with, inner chamfered notches 5 receiving the beveled ends of the stringers, whereby thestringers 3 are held down by the posts 1, and doubled bars or clevises 6 have their limbs secured to-the terminals of the stringers 3, the said clevises 6 surrounding the lower ends of the posts 1, and wedges 7 being driven downwardly between the bends of the clevises 6 and the posts 1, to securely clamp the posts 1 and stringers 3 together, and which will also hold the ends of the stringers 3 within the notches 5.

The floor structure embodies short joist sections 8 abutting against one another, and disposed in longitudinal series which are spaced laterally, the ends of the joist sections'8 resting upon the respective stringers 3 and 4. Transverse flooring boards 9 are nailed or otherwise secured upon the joist sections8, whereby the flooring boards 9 are carried by the joistsections 8, to provide fioor sections which may be readily handled. The floor sections are drawn or clamped tightly together, and to this end, a transverse bar 10' is secured to the joist sections 0 8 of one end floor section, and lon itudinal wires 11 are engagedjto hook bol s 12 engaged through the bar 10 and bearing nuts 12 seating against said bar. Theother ends of the rods 11 are engaged to hook bolts 14 15 engaged through a board 13 resting against the opposite end of the, structure, and nuts "14 are threaded upon the bolts 14 and seat against the board 13, whereby when the nuts 12 and 1 1 are tightened, the floor sections will be tightly drawn together for clamping the boards 9. In this manner, the flooring sections are firmly held together. When the parts are loosened, the floor may be folded or collapsed.

' Oneof the fioor boards 9 at one corner of the building is provided with a loose section providing a door 15, which is connected by hinges 16 to the adjacent floor board, whereby the door 15 may be swung upwardly to open position, and thus provide a ventilating opening to allow fresh air to flow upwardly into the building. This Ventilating door is preferably provided at: one corner of the building, so as to be located under a bed or other article of furniture, thereby to be out of the way. A screen 17 is preferably secured to the flooring underneath the door 15, to prevent reptiles or insects from passing upwardly through the ventilating opening when the door 15 is opened. The ventilating opening permits the building to be ventilated in an effective and desirable manner, for the 'comfortand health of the occupants. I

5 'Mounted between each pair of posts 1, is a side section 18, embodying a frame composed of studs 19 having a longitudinal plate or bar 20 secured uponvtheir upper ends, and having tenons 21 at their lower or sockets 21' in a longitudinal plate or sill 22 secured by means of nails or otherwise upon the ends of the floor boards 9. Thus, when the side section 18 is moved downwardlybetween the posts 1, the tenons 21 will be fitted into the plate 22, for holding from moving longitudinally. Suitable siding 23, which may be clap-boards, canvas,

corrugated sheet'metal, or the like, is attached to the outer edges of the studs 19 and plate 20, and the Siding preferably and interior finishing,

'tion.

shaped openings 26 ends. The tenons are dropped into mortises' the upper ends of the '-coated upon its-inner surface with asbestos or other fireand weather-proof' material..- The ends of the siding 23 project, so asto overlap the outer sides of the posts 1, the ends of the sidings 23 of the various sections 18 abutting against one another, so'that the siding will be continuous along the sides ;0f

the building. Suitable packing strips, 24

may be disposed between theends of the siding 23. and posts 1 to provide a tight insects. Suitable such as plaster boards, or the like, may be applied to the inner edges of the studs 19,

as will be apparent without lengthy descrip- In order to fasten the side sections 18,

a pair of upright bars 25 are secured by means of rivets or other- .wise to the opposite sides of each post 1 adjacent the upper end of the said post, and the bars 25 are which have their heads, disposed lowermost and their tails projectmg upwardly. The sidesof the post l'are provided with recesses 27 adjacent the open ings or slots 26, and a lag screw 28 is engaged into each end of each plate 20, the

headed ends of the lag screws 28 projecting from the ends of the plates "20. Thus, in

assembling the side sections 18 with the posts 1, when the sections 18 are placed downwardly upon the plates or sills 22,-the

posts 1 are raised slightly, to bring the heads of theopenings 26 into alinement. with the heads of the screws 28, which allows the heads of the screws. 28 to pass through the heads of the openings 26.

the upper portions of I provided with key hole Then, by pushing .or forcing the; posts 1 I the shanks of the screws 28 within the tails of the openings 26,-so that the heads of the screws 28 will be locked behind the bars 25 within the recesses 27. This provides asecure means for fastening the upper ends of the posts 1 and the upper portions of the sidese ctions 18 together, whereby they are not liable to become detached accidentally, and furthermore, after the wedges 7 are applied to the clevises 6, theposts 1 cannotbe raised for allowing the lag screws 28 to be removed fromthe-bars 25.

The bars 25 project outwardly above the upper ends of the posts 1, and have their upper ends'bent'angularly. toward one another, as at 29, to provide sockets 30 for} receiving the terminals 31 of the rafters. 32. Theira'fters rest upon and abut against posts 1, and the terminals 31 of the rafters fit between the bars 25,under the overhanging upper ends'or lips 29 thereof.- 'The angular-ends-or lips 29 of the bars 25 hold the rafters upon theposts 1, and the bars 25 being flexible may ward one another, and which are welded on otherwise secured together. The loops 35 receive the upper or adjacent ends of the rafters 32, and the upper or remote ends of the loops 35 are seated in transverse notches 37 provided in the upper edges of the rafters 32 adjacent the ridge board 33. The stirrup 34 is thus suspended in a simple and convenient manner from the rafters, and the upper end of a hanger 38 may be readily engaged to the portions 36 of the stirrup. The hangers 38 are employed for supporting the stringers or beams, or other parts below the roof, as suggested in Patent No. 797,474..

Crosser transverse stringers 39 are supported between the upper ends of the posts 1, and to attach 'the ends of the stringers 39 to the posts 1,.plates 40 of U-shaped cross section have their side portions or flanges secured to the opposite sides of the posts 1, adjacent the upper ends of said posts, so that the plates straddle or stand astride the inner edges of the posts. The intermediate portions of the plates 40 are provided with upwardly opening vertical slots 41, and lag screws 42 are engaged in the ends of the stringers 39, and are spaced vertically, a pair of screws 42 being carried by each end of each stringer 39. The headed ends of the screws 32 project from the ends of the stringers, and before the rafters 32 are applied to the posts 1, the'stringers 39 may be moved downwardly so as to drop the headed ends of the screws 42 into the slots 41 of the plates40. The heads of the screws 42 will be held behind-the plates 40, to firmly attach the stringers 39 to the posts 1. When the rafters 32 are applied to the posts, they will hold the stringers 39 in place, since the stringers 39 cannot be raised to lift the screws 42 out of the slots 41 while the rafters 32 are disposed upon the posts .1, -'The stringers 39*will tie the opposite ipbsts 1 together in asecure manner, to

prevent the posts at the opposite sides from Longitudinal beams 43 are supported between the stringers 39, the ends of the beams 43 being applied to the stringer 39 in somewhat the same manner that the ends of the stringers are applied to the postsl. Thus, plates 44 are secured to the sides of the stringers 39, at the proper points, and are provided with upwardly opening vertical slots 45 for receiving the shanks of the lag screwsv 46 engaged ini'the ends of the beams 43. The heads of the lag screws 46 are received by recesses 47 provided in the opposite sides of the stringers 39, behind the slots 45 of the plates The lower edges of the stringers 39 and beams 43 may be provided with grooves 48 for receiving the upper edges of partitions.

the most part, be concealed and located out w of the way.

' The improved features add to the efiiciency and utility of the portable house or building, and are extremely cheap.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. In a building construction, a pair of posts, a side section mounted between them, a plate between the posts upon which said section is adapted to rest, said section and plate having a tenon and mortise joint, the upper portion of said side section and posts having interengageable elements whereby when the posts are raised and lowered the posts and side section will be locked together, so that the posts prevent the detachmentdof the side section until the posts are raise 2. Ina building construction, a pair of 7 and headed elements .carriedby the frame and engageable in said openings to lock the posts and frame together, so that the posts prevent the detachment of the the posts are moved.

Inabuildingconstruction, a pair of posts, a frame disposed therebetween, a plate between the posts upon which said frame rests, said plate and frame having a tenon and mortise joint, plates secured to the posts and having key-hole shaped openings with their heads disposed lowermost, and headed elements carried by the-frame and engageable in said openings whereby when the posts are raised, the headed elements may pass through'the heads of said openings, so that when the posts are again lowered they will be locked to the frame, so that the posts prevent the detachment of the frame until the posts are raised.

4. In a building construction, a pair of rafters, and a stirrup formed from a rod and having diverging loops receiving the frame until adjacent entis of the rafters and having off- In testimony that I claim' the foregoing-as set portions between the loops, said ofi'set my own, I have hereto affixed my signature portions being secured together and providin the presence of tWo Witnesses.

ing means for the engagement of a hanger, JAMES A. WALKER. 5 and the upper edges of the rafters having Witnesses: notches receiving the upper ends of the D. B. GREENE,

loops. A. MACDONALD. 

